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Budget STudio Eqpt?

Hi guys!! Would like some recommendation from STudio Gurus about what eqpt is good n cheap n value for money when it comes to setting up a home studio. The studio will be primarily used for portraits, both full length and half body/closeups.

I have used elinchrom 500 studio lights. They are basically monoblocks so no powerpacks are needed.

For price, try to watch out for the special promotion at Cathay Photo. Very good value. But they have it from time to time and you got to catch it.

I bought mine at approx. $1.8k with some free carrying bag two years ago. Their last offer was pretty good too. With two 500w lights, hard carry case & umbrellas I think. HEard that it was a offer by Elinchrom.

You can talk to the 2 friendly guys at CP for a demo and features.
One of them is Steven. Can't remember the other guy's name.
I talk to them and learnt quite a lot from them. They also have experience with studio lights so not the usual salesman talk.

For Bowens, you have to go to Ruby. They also have promotions from for the studio lights. According to a friend of mine, Bowens are cheaper to buy initially but accessories are more expensivŽ.
But I have no personal experience to comment.

Some features of the Elinchrom 500 - stepless control, no auto dumping.

Recommendations
For full length shots, you will need a 9ft backdrop. For portraits, half body, close-ups you could do with a 5ft backdrop depending on the focal length of the lens that you are using.
9ft -approx. S$110/pc
5ft- approx. S$50+/pc
You will need to budget in the stands also. aro. $250.

You will need at least a soft box and an umbrella. Others can be added depending on the effect you want. A set of grids ( 4 sizes) can cost up to $500+.

You can get a basic flash light meter like the Sekonic 328. $300. Or a Polaris.

Can i confirm that by auto-dumping, you are referring to the flash head discharging the excess 'juice' in the capacitor when u switch from a higher 1/1 to lets say 1/32?

Also what does "four grids" mean?

thanks!

Originally posted by dreamseeker Hi vince123123,

I have used elinchrom 500 studio lights. They are basically monoblocks so no powerpacks are needed.

For price, try to watch out for the special promotion at Cathay Photo. Very good value. But they have it from time to time and you got to catch it.

I bought mine at approx. $1.8k with some free carrying bag two years ago. Their last offer was pretty good too. With two 500w lights, hard carry case & umbrellas I think. HEard that it was a offer by Elinchrom.

You can talk to the 2 friendly guys at CP for a demo and features.
One of them is Steven. Can't remember the other guy's name.
I talk to them and learnt quite a lot from them. They also have experience with studio lights so not the usual salesman talk.

For Bowens, you have to go to Ruby. They also have promotions from for the studio lights. According to a friend of mine, Bowens are cheaper to buy initially but accessories are more expensivŽ.
But I have no personal experience to comment.

Some features of the Elinchrom 500 - stepless control, no auto dumping.

Recommendations
For full length shots, you will need a 9ft backdrop. For portraits, half body, close-ups you could do with a 5ft backdrop depending on the focal length of the lens that you are using.
9ft -approx. S$110/pc
5ft- approx. S$50+/pc
You will need to budget in the stands also. aro. $250.

You will need at least a soft box and an umbrella. Others can be added depending on the effect you want. A set of grids ( 4 sizes) can cost up to $500+.

You can get a basic flash light meter like the Sekonic 328. $300. Or a Polaris.

Your definition of auto-dumping is correct. For me, whether the flash head has this feature is not important. I always meter again when I power down the flash.

Sorry about the grids. What I meant was a honeycomb with 4 different sizes of grids. ie. fine, medium, coarse.

I have to agree with astin on that physical size of the studio matters. That's why I said that depending on the focal length of the lens you use. If you use a long lens, you might not be able to shoot full body shots if the studio is small.

If you like to know/learn more, you could also join a studio photo shoot before investing.

From a book i read, the honeycomb helps to 'directionalise' the light, instead of allowing it to 'spill' out sideways, up, & down too much. The coarseness is to adjust the amount of light getting through. Very fine honeycombs let very light through.